The Cross Hands

This is a lovely and huge pub in the suburbs. It’s got a nice big garden, a huge upstairs area that I think you can hire for parties, it’s great for kids and also for a drink or 10 with your mates. A fully catered bar, loads of seating, kids play area out the back, there’s even more benches out the front.
An all rounder, if you will! It’s cosy and has everything you need from a local boozer.
Check out their website for the latest theme nights. I haven’t eaten in here yet but I’ve heard they do a great steak night.

The Cross Hands is a superb pub/​restaurant and is a breath of fresh air for the Fishponds area.
I’ve been in The Cross Hands from time to time over the years, but some friends (and fellow elites) recently move a couple of streets away, so I’ve been been in there quite a bit recently, and I’ve had a great time I each time I’ve been. What I really like about it is that it has a really cosy, proper pub feel to it, while also being a really good restaurant. The food these guys serve up is fantastic!
They do a steak night which is every Thursday which is 2 steaks and a bottle of wine for £30, and with the quality of the food its a great deal.
They have good outside seating areas at the front me back and have a brilliant hog roast and cider festival in the summer, with live bands and lots of banter.
Sunday Lunches are also really good.
But it’s not all about the food, however good it is. This is a really good pub that feels like you’re in your local, even if it’s the first time you’ve been.

On first inspection you would think a pub on a busy main road road with buses going by is gonna be horrid. You’d be wrong. This place is a delight, so much so I enjoy sitting outside. This area of Fishponds is very up and coming and there is always something to catch your eye. The booze selection is great if a little on the steep side. Same story with the grub. Recently had a few instances where the roast didn’t live up to the price tag or the steaks on our weekly steak night were disappointing, which is the reason for the dropped star.
I’d still come here regularly though, simply due to its relaxing atmosphere, great location and smoking hot friendly barmaids.

This pub sits just on the boarder between Fishponds, Staple Hill and Downend so is an easy access local pub/​meeting point for many.
Good food served all day, each day and I would go to say it’s some of the best modern pub food you’re likey to order in the area.
The pub has a decent sized well kept garden to the back and also a seating area out the front, amongst the hustle and bustle of the busy High Street.
Staff are very welcoming and while its clear it’s a locals pub it’s also somewhere that accommodates good pub food and drinks for the odd night out/​Sunday Roast.
The food menu isn’t huge which I think is good to keep the quality, which it does. You can expect in trend meals such as ‘Mac & Cheese’ & pulled pork etc as well as tradition pub favourites. However I feel the menu could be refreshed more often. I can highly recommend the gnocchi on the current menu. You can tell I’ve eaten there once or twice!
Steak night on a Thursday is great and really popular. 2 good quality steak meals and a bottle of wine for £30. There are various themed evenings to check out and the odd event such as a cider and pork day festival that happened early this year, which was a lot of fun and family friendly to boot.
All in all the Cross Hands is a good modern pub in the fishponds area that blends your classic local with good quality dining. It’s not the cheapest option of watering holes in the area but is great and also definitely accommodates a wee tipple on a Friday and Saturday night!

Lovely pub in up and comming Fishponds. The pub its self is very nice on the eye. And outside you are greeted with a sunny seating area where you can watch the world go by. Inside the place is tastefully decorated. With books and board games to entertain.
We came here on Thursday for steak night 2 x steaks and a bottle of decent wine for 30. And we were not disappointed ! I particularly advise getting yer mits on the onion rings they are lush ! Also the chips are tripple cooked and super good ! And to top it off the steak was of decent cut and cooked very well.
The rest of menu is an interesting boarderline pretentious affair but hey this is a Gastropub ! The staff are an absolute delight very chatty and knowledgeable. I feel I shall be returning to this establishment again !

Well well well this is going to be dangerous, this is my new local. And we have frequented a fair few times already in the week we have lived here.
The Cross hands has a really nice feel to it, it’s warm and welcoming, the décor is modern chic come country pub, they have some really cool chandeliers. I think they’d noticed if they went missing!
They have a great selection, of beers, wine and spirits including about 8 different gins which is a pretty good show on my eyes!
The staff are really friendly, attentive and offer table service for food.
The food has always been good, they menu offers about 6 – 8 choices for starters and mains, and they concentrate on doing those options well.
I would highly recommend the gnocchi from the starter menu, it’s freshly made gnocchi and falls apart in your mouth, my view of gnocchi has now completely changed now I know it doesn’t have to be like the gnocchi from packets you buy in a supermarket! It’s served with ham hock and pea purée, the ham was amazing seasoned and cooked to perfection, the pea purée was a little bland and watery but this did not take away from the rest of the dish. This was reasonably priced at £6.50 which for the quality of the food was well spot on.
We also had the fish and chips, the batter was crisp and perfectly cooked, served with good chunky chips and pea purée (again). This was about £10 and again I was happy to pay that price.
They have a court yard out the front, with benches it’s a nice area although can be a little noisy but it’s situated right on the junction where 2 main roads join. Out back is really nice, hidden away and much quieter, there’s different seating areas some with shelter, it’s a nice little haven from the busy roads out the front.
This is a great pub, I can see me being a regular!

This pub has a somewhat tainted past but don’t let that put you off as it is now great place to eat and drink. For me it’s by far the best pub in Fishponds/​Staple Hill.
Situated on the top of Fishponds Road it has a courtyard at the front and if you can put the noise of traffic behind you it’s a great place to sit out and enjoy the evening sun with friends. During the summer months the place gets packed on a Friday night as people celebrate the end if the week with a drink in the sun.
The menu is probably a little pricey for the area but well worth it and the Sunday lunch is fantastic and gets fully booked every weekend. The menu changes regularly which is great but you can always get a good burger and delicious vegetarian options.
It’s very child/​family friendly and has a playground out back and a great selection of board games and toys to entertain the littles ones.
Finally and most importantly for a good boozer, it has a great selection of beers, ciders and spirits.

This cavernous pub is going through some ch ch ch changes. When we first moved to Fishponds this was a BNP pub and general no-​go area. Then it was taken over by landlord Phil who drove them all out by only offering quality real ale and clean carpets and in came a homely crowd with an occasional folk band in the corner. Glad to escape the strip of cheap-​lager boozers in Fishponds, the Cross Hands became the place to go and also attracted a quality chef for some experimental cooking in the back room.
HOWEVER. Phil left. The pub got ran into the ground. The lager came back on and the sign outside asking for chefs became permanent. It closed for about a week and now has opened again without fanfare. I’m not holding my breath…

The first time I set foot in the place I simply went ‘wow’. You’re immediately at a bar that must feature 20 different types of beers and lagers. If you like a pint you can’t help but be impressed.
Luckily aswell as looking the part it also delivers on the drinks stakes with a regularly changing selection of real ales.
They’ve also recently changed chef and although the menu is a little up market and pricey for pub food, it’s a good enough for the occasional treat.
Behind the bar is great place for relaxing and they have loads of board games to play whilst lounging on the sofas.